Upright piano action



Feb. 22, 1938. C.VB. DAVIS 2,109,192

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION Filed Aug. 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 22, 1938. c. B. DAVIS 2,109,192

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION Filed Aug. 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented F eb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to actions designed for upright pianos and particularly to means for lifting the hammer engaging jack as the key is depressed.

The general object of this invention is to provide in an upright piano action, the same instantaneous key action as is present in grand pianos.

Another object is to provide an action in which a repetition stroke is readily secured, the action being so constructed that the assembly is in position for repetition before the hammer has returned to the hammer rail.

A further object is to permit the weight of the hammer as it returns to the hammer rail, to be exerted on the usual jack, causing the whole assembly to have a firmer feel at the keys to the performer.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through a piano action showing the hammer in its fully retracted position and the parts in the position before a key is depressed;

Figure 2 is a like view to Figure 1, but showing the hammer in its rebounded position after having struck the string;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

From these drawings, it will be seen that the upper portion of the action disclosed uses the parts commonly used in upright piano actions. l designates the action rail which supports the hammer butt II by means of the usual flange l2, the hammer butt being pivoted at I3 to the flange. The shank l4 carries the usual hammer I 5 coacting with the string IS. The hammer is provided with the usual back stop I1.

Mounted upon the action rail by means of the flange I8 is a lower wippen I9. This has its under face engaged by the usual capstan screw 20. This wippen I9 is pivoted to the flange I8 by means of the pivot 2|. Also pivoted to the flange l8 above the lower wippen I9 is the upper wippen 22, the: pivot being designated 23. The upper wippen22 carries the usual flange 24 upon which is piyotally mounted the usual jack 25, which engages beneath'the padded shoulder 26 on the hammer buttzll. The jack 25 has a forwardly projectingvportion 21 and the usual spring 28 is disposed between the upper wippen 22 and the projecting portion 21 of the jack 25. The usual regulating'rail 29 is provided and supported by the wire 30 and through this regulating rail passes the screw 3| carrying the regulating button 32.

The rear end of the upper wippen 22 carries upon it the spoon 33 which engages with the lower end of a damper lever 34 mounted upon the flange 35 secured to the action rail. The upper end of 5 the damper lever carries the damper wire or shank 36 in turn carrying a damper 31. A spring 38 urges the damper lever forward at its upper end. The hammer spring 39 is carried by the usual hammer spring rail 40, and this hammer spring bears against the usual grooved lug I l on the rear face of the hammer butt II. A damper lifting rod 4| is disposed between the action rail and the lower end of the damper lever 34. The wippen l9 at its forward end carries the upwardly extending bridle wire 42 from which a bridle 43 extends to the hammer. The hammer butt carries the usual back stop 11, as before stated, and the bridle 43 passes through this back stop. A check wire 44 extends upward from the forward end of the wippen l9 and carries the check 45 with which the back stop I1 is adapted to engage upon a rebound of the hammer, as shown in Figure 2. The hammer in its fully retracted position rests upon the usual hammer rail 46.

So far, most of the parts described are old and well known, but ordinarily the upper wippen 22 is engaged directly by the capstan screw 20 or by a prolong or sticker extending upward from the keys, the capstan screw being at the lower end of this prolong.

In my mechanism, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, I provide a lower wippen designated H], which has a right angular passage or chamber 41 formed immediately below the forward end of the upper wippen 22. Within the rear end of this chamber 47, there is disposed an auxiliary jack or lower jack 48, which is angular in form to provide an upwardly extending arm 49 and a forwardly and downwardly extending arm 50. The jack is pivoted to the lower wippen l9 by means of a pivot pin 5|. The forwardly extending arm of the jack 48 is recessed at 52. Extending through the forward end of the chamber 41 is a lever 53 with which I turn the lower jack lever, this lever having a pointed element or pin 54 at its rear end engaging the recess 52. This recess is preferably filled with packing 52 with which the pin engages. The lever 53 is pivoted at 55 to the forward end of the wippen l9 and the forward end of this lever 53 is urged upward by means of the spring 56 carried by the forward end of the wippen I9. Disposed in proper relation to the forward end of the jack lever 53 is a regulating button 51 carried by a regulating screw 58 extending through a rail 59 which forms part of the action frame and may be supported in any suitable manner thereon.

It will be noted from the drawings that the forward end of the wippen 22 is cut away on the upper face of the wippen, as at 60, and extending through the upper solid forward portion of the wippen i9 is a screw 6|, whose upper end is formed with a head or stop 62. This screw 6| is adjustable in the lower wippen and acts as the lower wippen is lowered upon the lifting of the key, to draw down the forward end of the upper wippen 22. A spring 63 has its rear end mounted within a recess in the upper face of the wippen 19, this spring extending upward and forward and extending into a groove formed in the upper wippen 22 forward of the pivot 23. A

regulating screw 64 is carried by a flange 65 on the action rail If]. This screw is preferably a standard drop screw such as is used in a grand action.

It will be seen that almost all of the piano action is standard except the parts I9, 48, 6|, the upper wippen 22, the repetition spring 63 and the wippen flange 18. These are all special parts and the extension from the action bracket to hold the regulating rail 58 will not be standard.

The operation of this action is as follows:

When the key of the hammer is struck, it causes the capstan screw 26 to rise, which lifts the lowerwippen i9, turning it upon its pivot 2|. This action raises all the moving parts, including the upper wippen 22 and the upper jack 25, This throws the hammer over to strike the piano string. When the wippen 59 has been raised high enough so that the lever 53 strikes the stopper or button 51, the forward end of the lever 53 is relatively depressed, tilting the lower jack 48 upon its pivot from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 2, or slightly rearward of this position. Thus the upper arm 49 of the lower jack is kicked out from beneath the depending shoulder on the forward end of the upper wipen 22, thus allowing the lower wippen to move upward without moving the up per jack and permitting the upper jack to return back under the hammer butt after the hammer has rebounded from the string and has been checked by the back check 45. On the return movement, the lower wippen l9 drops while the upper wippen 22 is still held in its extreme upper portion by the repetition spring 63. This permits a short stroke of the hammer to be made before the hammer'returns to its fully retracted position, thus permitting rapid repetition if desired by the player.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a piano action having a hammer, a hammer butt, an action rail, a wippen pivoted thereto, a jack pivotally carried by the wippen and engaging beneath the butt, a spring on the wippen urging the jack into a position beneath the hammer butt and an adjustable stop engageable with the jack upon a predetermined upward movement of the wippen to cause the jack to release its engagement with the hammer butt; means to permit a short stroke of the hammer to be made before the hammer returns to its fully retracted position, including a lower wippen disposed beneath the first named wippen and operatively pivoted to the action, rail, a pivoted member carried by the lower wippen and normally engaging against the under face of the upper wippen, a repetition spring carried by the lower wippen and urging the upper wippen upward, a stop carried by the lower wippen extending over the free end of the upper wippen and permitting a predetermined upward movement of the upper wippen with relation to the lower wippen but upon a descent of the lower wippen engaging against the upper wippen to retract it, a stop on the rail limiting the upward movement of the upper wippen, means causing the member to move out of a position in engagement with the upper wippen upon a predetermined upward movement of the lower wippen, and means causing said member to return into a position of operative engagement with the upper wippen immediately upon a partial downward movement of the lower wippen whereby the upper wippen and jack may again be lifted to drive the hammer against the strings before the hammer has returned to its fully retracted position.

2. In a piano action having a hammer, a hammer butt, an action rail, a wippen pivoted thereto, a jack pivotally carried by the wippen and engaging beneath the butt, a spring on the wippen urging the jack into a position beneath the hammer butt and an adjustable stop engageable with the jack upon a predetermined upward movement of' the wippen to cause the jack to release its engagement with the hammer butt; means to permit a short stroke of the hammer to be made before the hammer returns to its fully retracted position, including a lower wippen disposed beneath the first named wippen and operatively pivoted to the action rail, a pivoted jack carried by the lower wippen and having two angularly disposed arms, the upwardly extending arm normally engaging against the under face of the upper wippen, a repetition spring carried by the lower wippen and bearing against the up per wippen and urging it upward, a regulating screw carried by the lower wippen extending loosely through the upper wippen and having a head engaging the upper face of the upper wippen, said screw acting to permit a predetermined upward movement of the upper wippen with relation to the lower wippen but upon a descent of the lower wippen engaging against the upper wippen to retract it, a stop on the action rail limiting the upward movement of the upper wippen, a lever pivoted upon the lower wippen-and engaging the forwardly projecting arm of the second named jack to oscillate the jack, a spring urging the forward end of said lever upward, and a lower jack lever regulating screw engageable with the forward end of said lever upon an upward movement of the lower wippen and acting to oscillate said lever to in turn oscillate the lower jack out from its engagement with the upper wippen.

3. In a piano action having a hammer, a hammer butt, an action rail, a wippen pivoted thereto, a jack pivotally carried by the wippen and engaging beneath the butt, a spring on the wippen urging the jack into a position beneath the hammer butt and an adjustable stop engageable with the jack upon a predetermined upward movement of the wippen to cause the jack to release its engagement with the hammer butt; means to permit a short stroke of the hammer to be'made before the hammer returns to its fully retracted position, including a lower wippen disposed beneath the first named wippen and operatively pivoted to the action rail, the lower wippen being chambered, a lower jack pivoted within said chamber of the lower wippen and having an upwardly projecting arm and a forwardly projecting arm, the upwardly projecting arm normally engaging against the under face of the upper wippen, a repetition spring carried by the lower wippen and bearing against the upper wippen, a regulating screw carried by the lower wippen and extending loosely through the upper wippen and having a stop, said screw permitting a predetermined upward movement of the upper wippen with relation to the lower wippen but engaging against the upper wippen to retract it upon a descent of the lower wippen, adjustable means limiting the upward movement of the upper wippen, a lever having its rear portion disposed in the chamber in the lower wippen and rockingly engaging the forwardly projecting arm of the lower jack, a spring urging the forward end of said lever upward, and an adjustable stop with which the forward end of the lever engages upon a predetermined upward movement of the lower wippen to thus cause the oscillation of the lower jack to carry its upward ly extending arm out of engagement with the upper wippen.

4. In a piano action having a hammer, a hammer butt, an action rail, a wippen pivoted thereto, a jack pivotally carried by the wippen and engaging beneath the butt, a spring on the wippen urging the jack into a position beneath the hammer butt and an adjustable stop engageable with the jack upon a predetermined upward movement of the wippen to cause the jack to release its engagement with the hammer butt; means to permit a short stroke of the hammer to be made before the hammer returns to its fully retracted position, including a lower wippen disposed beneath the first named wippen and operatively pivoted to the action rail, the first named wippen at its forward end having a downwardly extending shoulder, a lower jack pivotally carried by the lower wippen and having an upwardly extending arm and a forwardly extending arm, the upwardly extending arm normally engaging against the under face of said shoulder on the upper wippen, a repetition spring carried by the lower wippen and urging the upper wippen upward, means carried by the lower wippen to permit a predetermined upward movement of the upper wippen with relation to the lower wippen but engaging against the upper wippen to retract it upon a descent of the lower wippen, adjustable means limiting the upward movement of the upper wippen, a lever pivoted to the lower wippen projecting forward therefrom and at its rear end rocking the engaging lower jack, and an adjustable stop disposed above the forward end of the lever and upon a predetermined upward movement of the lower wippen engaging with the lever to cause the lower jack to shift and carry the upwardly extending arm of the lower jack out from beneath the shoulder on the upper wippen.

5. In a piano action, the combination with the usual pivoted wippen and jack pivotally supported thereon; of manually controlled wippenlifting means, a member carried thereby and normally engaging with the free end of the wippen, means, actuated upon a predetermined upward movement of the lifting means, releasing the engagement between the member and the wippen to permit the wippen to fall towards the lifting means, and means acting to again engage said member with the wippen upon a predetermined downward movement of the lifting means from its extreme upper position whereby to permit a short stroke of the hammer to be made before the hammer returns to its fully retracted position.

6. In a piano action, the combination with an upper wippen pivotally supported adjacent one end, of a lower wippen pivotally supported below the upper wippen, a pivoted member carried by the lower wippen and normally engaging against the underface of the upper wippen adjacent its free end when the lower wippen is in lowered position, means causing the pivoted member on the lower wippen to move out of a position engaging the upper wippen upon a predetermined upward movement of the lower wippen, and means causing said member to return into a position of operative engagement with the upper wippen immediately upon a partial downward movement of the lower wippen, whereby the upper wippen and jack may again be lifted to drive the hammer against the springs before the hammer has returned to its fully retracted position.

7. In a piano action, the combination with a hammer, the usual pivoted wippen, and jack pivotally supported thereon, of a manually controlled wippen lifting element, a member movably mounted upon the lifting element normally disposed beneath and engaging with the free end of the wippen but movable out of such engagement, means acting upon a predetermined upward movement of the wippen-lifting element to shift said member out of engagement with the wippen to thus allow the wippen to fall, and a spring shifting the member into position beneath and in engagement with the wippen immediately upon a partial downward movement of the lifting means from its extreme upper position.

CLARENCE B. DAVIS. 

